Bey Watch

Such characters Turhan would play...
Savvy Arab, suave sir from Bombay
In a tassel draped fez
He would wrassle Montez
While preparing some verbal cliché.

R.I. P. Turhan Bey, March 30, 1922 - Sept. 30, 2012. In his Hollywood heyday in the 1940s, Bey was dubbed the "The Turkish Delight." Of course it was usually Jon Hall who got to manhandle Maria Montez.

Devine Intervention

In tropical pools she went wading
On parapets proudly parading
In one desert flick
she almost got sick
from Andy Devine's serenading



"Dominican Dynamite" Maria Montez was serenaded by Andy Devine on his his ukulele in Raiders of the Desert (1941). For more photos of the inimitable La Montez, visit her fansite, here.

The Old Shell Dame

Like shellfish too long from the sea
she smells a bit fishy to me
Her saltwater scent
assaults a poor gent
I'll ice her, and asap

Maria Montez and husband Jean-Pierre Aumont in Siren of Atlantis (1949).

Camp Champ

A charmer of men and of snakes
Maria sure had what it takes
A tropical vamp,
this countess of camp
when taking a bath hit the brakes



Known as the Caribbean Cyclone, actress Maria Montez drowned in her bathtub in France at age 39. The star of many florid costume adventure films (none more over-the-top than Cobra Woman), Montez was dubbed the Queen of Technicolor. Said the diva, "When I see myself on the screen, I am so beautiful, I jump for joy." Above: Poster and publicity still for Cobra Woman (Robert Siodmak, 1944); Below: With husband Jean-Pierre Aumont in Wicked City/Hans le Marin (Francois Villiers 1949).

The Full Montez

"Exotic" Maria Montez
Her men wear a turban or fez
Does jungle queen shtick
With accent so thick
That nobody knows what she says.


Dominican-born actress Maria Montez as the Siren of Atlantis (1949), Scheherazade in Arabian Nights (1942), and as an imperious Cleopatra. Image source: Shadowplay; Doctor Macro; Scarlet Showcase. There's more Montez here.

Ave Maria...Montez

The islanders worship a snake
Volcanoes are starting to shake
A girl's next of kin,
Her High Priestess twin,
Is doing a quick double-take.


Hail King Cobra! Maria Montez stars in the delirious tropical Technicolor fever dream that is Cobra Woman (Robert Siodmak, 1944). In the mood for evil twins? Lookee here. Image source: filmfanatic.org; The Exploding Kinetoscope;